450 people attended the requiem mass held for Dr. Jenny Chung at Rosary Church. Every seat in the church was taken, and many people had to stand. Her whole family was there, as were colleagues, students, friends, fellow church members, ... She is gone now. But she surely touched many lives while she was here.
I only got to know her better in the last year, when we started working together on a research project, and service learning. As fate would have it, I actually got to know her better as her health got worse. I shall always remember how we held hands when I prayed for her in the hospital the day before she passed away. At the mass, as we sang, the priest preached, and family, friends, students, colleagues shared about her, I had the strongest feeling that she is still there, somewhere, even though we could not see her. Surely she was watching all these with interest. She would have been pleased that we were all there.
We all are here on earth for a purpose. We have one life and one chance to make an impact. Surely we don’t just want to leave behind mounts of money, great titles, tons of academic papers, or even positions of tremendous power. Surely it is more satisfying to leave behind beautiful relationships, fond memories and deep respect. In the end, it is love that endures.
1 comment:
I miss her terribly. It still seems surreal that she's not with us anymore. But at least we have the assurance that we will see her again someday.
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